City officials meeting for strategy sessions

From City Hall.jpg [1]

By KELLY DANIELS
citybeat@bellsouth.net [2]

City officials are scheduled today to begin an intensive work session on the state of Starkville’s “strategic plan.”
Mayor Parker Wiseman has reported that the Board of Aldermen aims to evaluate progress of the strategy it adopted a year ago.
“This turned out to be a very productive way to begin a year last year, and I anticipate it will be a productive way to begin 2011,” Wiseman anticipates.
The board met over three weekends last year to discuss, draft and finalize a strategic plan for its term.
As a result, Starkville’s Information Technology Department was established, as was a monthly and quarterly meeting schedule with community leaders. The board also consolidated several departments into the new Sanitation and Environmental Services Department and have established a committee to access the needs of City Hall and find direction on building a new municipal complex.
Wiseman hopes that by working again together on the strategic plan, the board will strengthen its harmony. “Part of building unity comes from building shared vision of progress, and that’s what this process is intended to do,” Wiseman said.
“Achieving progress is often difficult and and requires working through complex decisions. However, you can’t get through those processes, unless you have settled on a direction. This retreat, as was last year’s retreat, is intended to help us continue to settle on a direction.”
Today’s meeting at the Greater Starkville Development Partnership will begin at 3 p.m. and run for four hours, and Saturday’s meeting begins at 8 a.m. and ends at noon.